It’s the end of the year and things are winding down. As part of our process to get ready for the new year we decided to spend some time looking through the site’s statistics and analytics. we won’t bore you with number of visits, page views and all that gibberish. What we did put together was a list of the top 10 Porsche posts based on the number of times a page was viewed by our readers. With a little help from Wayne and Garth here’s the PorschePurist Top 10 List for 2009.

10. 1987 Porsche 959 For Sale on Ebay (Otherwise know as, “Is Ralph Lauren Selling His 959?)
9. 7 Tips To Avoid Speeding Tickets in Your Porsche
8. Porsche Tapiro by Giorgetto Giugiaro
7. New Porsche Museum In Stuttgart Set To Open To The Public
6. 6 Things You Should Know About Red Light and Speed Cameras if You Drive a Porsche
5. Porsche N Spec Approval. Understanding it When Choosing Tires
4. The Space Shuttle and Commercial Airplanes Use Nitrogen In Their Tires. Should You Use it in Your Porsche?
3. Lego Porsche 911
2. Winterizing and Preparing your Porsche for Storage
1. Jerry Seinfeld’s Porsche 993 Turbo S

Related Posts
Top 10 Porsche Posts of 2008

Every year I look forward to finding a new Porsche related Calendar to hang in the garage and/or my office. Last year I actually had two. One from the the Women of Rennwish and another produced by a member of the Rennlist forum that featured other member’s Porsche 993s; very model specific, but definitely a favorite.

This year’s search started by looking for a new Women of Rennwish Calendar. Unfortunately, as it turns out, a new one isn’t being produced this year. The good news is my old one runs for a total of 18 months, so I’m good for a bit longer. If you’re not familiar with the Women of Rennwish Calendar, or the charity it supports, I would encourage you to read more as these ladies do a fantastic job supporting a great cause and have fun doing it!

Porsche 917 Calendar

As the saying goes, when one door closes, another will open. Such was the case in this year’s search. As luck would have it, we were recently contacted by Nancy Suttles of Team Unicorn. Nancy (and her company) are the publishers behind a new Porsche Calendar that features images of the Porsche 917 as captured by legendary motorsport photographer Hal Crocker.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 917, “When Giants Raced” showcases images from a book underway by Hal, featuring the Porsche 917 and the men who made it epic.

Our calendar came complete with Hal’s autograph across the cover and a hand-written note from the publisher explaining the idea behind its production. For those not familiar with Hal’s work, he’s been part of the motorsport scene for decades and has amassed an archive of more than 3,000,000 photos and still growing.

At $29.95, When Giants Raced is well priced given the quality and production values. Printed on wire bound, 13″ x 11″ high quality, fine art paper; a large black and white image is the focus for each month. The patina and gritty appearance of each scene (not found in today’s world of digital photography) transports you back to when Porsche won Le Mans for the first time and a legend was born. It’s too bad that the full page pictures can’t be easily and cleanly torn out. If so, at the end of the year you could simply frame those images you like the best and have additional Porsche artwork to hang in your garage.

Porsche Calendar for Christmas

My brother-in-law knows of my obsession passion for Porsche and each year at Christmas I eagerly anticipate unwrapping his gifts as I know it will be something Porsche related. This year was no different as Andrew came through with a gorgeous 16 month 2010 Calendar for Porsche fans. Published by Avonside Publishing Ltd., this calendar features a mix of our favorite marque with images covering almost the complete production history of Porsche (including the 959 and Carrera GT).

Surprisingly, even though it is produced with permission from Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche AG. (wow that’s a mouthful) this calendar is inexpensively priced at just $14.99.

Related Posts
Porsche Artwork
Porsche Books
Porsche Type 301 Knives

Related Christmas Porsche Posts
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Porsche Style

Twas the night before Christmas, where all through the shop
Not an engine was leaking, not even a drop.
The tires were filled to their max PSI,
In hopes that dreaded flat spots won’t appear where they lie.

The drivers were warm, all snug on the couch,
Playing driving games in earnest so their skills would not slouch.
With batteries slowly charging from electricity on tap,
The Porsches were prepared for their long winter’s nap.

When from beyond the garage there arose such a roar,
I sprang from my PS3 to the polished concrete floor.
A click of a button and the garage doors did raise,
I looked out into the dark my mind in a haze.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to the objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Porsche Turbo for a gift, “is this a joke?” I did fear!

With a tap of the pedal the exhaust note sounds,
I knew in a moment a flat six had been found.
More rapid than a cheater in a Nissan GT-R,
With a new Porsche Turbo I know I’ll go far.

Now Doctor! Now Hoffman! now, Carlson and Butzi!
On, Elford! On, Patrick! on, David and Hurley!
To the start of the race! we’re off to the “Ring”!
Through the corners and chicanes this Turbo we’ll fling.

If we meet with an obstacle, forced air is induced,
Nothing feels quite the same as that twin turbo boost.
Around and around the “ring” we did go,
By holding the line we were anything but slow.

Lap after lap the tarmac flew past,
We knew from the start we’d never be last.
My foot on the gas, I’m ready to shift,
If you find the apex there’s no need to lift.

As we round the last corner the checkered flag in site,
This unfair race wasn’t even a fight.
The marshals guide us toward victory lane,
Where once again Podium is Porsche’s to gain.

Up upon the highest platform we stand,
Taking the win in Porsche’s homeland.
Time to go home, put the Turbo in gear,
We turn up the radio for all to hear.

The speakers are blaring as we drive out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

If someone offers you the keys to a free Porsche, do you say no thanks?  I didn’t think so.  Neither do we!

In early October, the commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted unanimously to approve new guidelines that requires web-sites like PorschePurist.com to disclose any freebies, swag, or other form of payment we get from companies whose product(s) we review or write about.  The idea behind the ruling makes sense and is designed to make sure that consumers (that’s you) don’t get duped by wildly skewed testimonials (“even though I’ve never raced before, once I used Product XYZ on my Porsche, I won every race I entered!”) or overly enthusiastic product reviews (“this is THE best Porsche product on the market and you MUST buy one!”).  In theory, this is a great idea.  In practice, the guidelines simply aren’t that clear.

The new rules went into effect on December 1, 2009 and could result in a fine of up to $11,000 for offending web-sites.  As you know, this site is published for FREE and we have more expenses than income (more on this later) so we decided to err on the side of caution and point out what we think is otherwise obvious…

1. PorschePurist.com has sponsors

Those sponsors are clearly labeled as such and if we write about them – which you can be sure we will – we’ll remind you.  If you want to be a sponsor, let us know and we can talk more about how we decide on who we accept.

2. We get free stuff, including Porsches

In addition to our sponsors, PorschePurist.com gets free stuff and other swag (including the occasional Porsche press car).  As the site becomes more popular, the amount of swag we’re getting keeps increasing.  Most of this stuff is Porsche related and we will review most of it, eventually, here on the site.  If it’s not somehow Porsche related, we either give it away in a contest, donate it to a worthwhile cause, or sell it for cash on eBay (again, more on this later).

3. We make money when you buy stuff

PorschePurist.com belongs to affiliate networks from companies like Amazon and Commission Junction.  These type of programs provide us with a small payment in the form of a commission anytime someone purchases a product from those links or after clicking through to the site.   Not every link on our site is an affiliate link, in fact, most are not.  However, it’s a safe bet that any link to Amazon or similar retail sites are a link that we will get a commission from if you buy a product while there.

Why do we do this?

PorschePurist.com is a labor of love and we publish it for FREE.  If you’re not familiar with our story, I encourage you to learn more about us.  As the site has become more popular (freakishly so) it incurs expenses at a level we never imagined (things like bandwidth, hosting, design, promotion, etc.).  We’re not complaining, in fact, just the opposite, we enjoy it!  However, all these expenses add up and they usually add up to more than we receive in return (at least monetarily).  By accepting sponsors, joining these affiliate programs, and selling unsolicited stuff we receive on eBay , we’re able to continue publishing the site and offer it for free to all of our readers.  We are very particular about our sponsors and the products we choose to promote (you would be amazed at some of the offers we’ve received) and hope you think so too.

If you want to support PorschePurist.com, the easiest and best ways are to simply keep reading, tell others about the site and encourage them to subscribe, visit and support our sponsors and, if you’re going to buy something for your Porsche, or something Porsche related, do so from our site using links like this one from Amazon or the Tire Rack (you don’t pay a penny more and it supports our efforts).

What does all this mean to you?

Simple, if you read a product/book/car review on PorschePurist.com you can pretty much guarantee the manufacturer, publisher, artist, etc. sent it to us for free.   Sometimes we ask them to (as there is stuff we’re interested in and think you will be too) and sometimes they send it unsolicited.  If we review something we paid for ourselves, we’ll probably let you know that too.  If enough people like that particular item we’ll probably contact the manufacturer, publisher, artist, etc. to see if they want to pay us back. 

But, and this is a bit BUT, regardless if we received the product for free or not, we always review it the same way- objectively.  We consider our readers our friends and we will not willingly or knowingly steer you toward a product we don’t believe in, use ourselves, or like.  In fact, every time we review a product, book, car, etc. we will always try to point out the pros and cons (nothing’s perfect, not even Porsche’s cars).

Thanks again to everyone who subscribes and reads our posts.  Your comments and continued support are all the encouragement we need.  However, clicking through to a sponsor or buying something from one of our links doesn’t hurt either…

There are only 7 shopping days left until Christmas and less than 24 hours to save 10% on Flying Lizard Team Gear. If you missed the post last week then you can click over to read all about PorschePurist.com being named the first U.S. based Flying Lizard Merchandise Affiliate Partner. The best part about this partnership is the 10% savings we’re offering to kick things off!! Remember, if you don’t want to read through the whole announcement again, simply enter “PorschePurist10″ (don’t forget it IS case sensitive) on the first page of your cart and the savings will be calculated automatically.

Porsche Gift Ideas

If you’re still looking for last minute Christmas gifts for the Porsche lover (or for yourself) there’s a great list available in this post about 30+ Gift Ideas for the Porsche Lover on Your Christmas List.

PorschePurist.com closing out 2009

As we get ready to celebrate the New Year (can you believe it’s already 2010) we’ll be wrapping things up with our own Top 10 Porsche Posts for the year, a follow-up to our Porsche Motorsport 101 post and a few other choice goodies.

By now, the news is out that Farnbacher Loles Racing, based in Braselton Georgia, combined with Farnbacher Loles Motorsport on Miry Brook Road in Danbury Connecticut, are no more. Many folks I’ve spoken to are still in disbelief about the financial misconduct by the company founder and team principal.

Over the past three or more years, members of the Porsche Club of America have enjoyed events at their Miry Brook Road facility, including the annual PCA Zone 1 Tech Tactics. We have become friends with members of the staff through participation at PCA Club Racing and Driver Education events and through services performed by the Motorsport shop. Considered by many to be one of the premier Porsche tuner shops in the Northeast due to the facilities and quality of workmanship performed, the absence of Farnbacher Loles Motorsports to the New York, Connecticut, and surrounding PCA Regions will be felt heavily.

Additionally, the fans of Farnbacher Loles Racing have followed the birth and success of the team in the Grand-Am Rolex and ALMS race series. We celebrated their outstanding finish to the season when the 2009 Grand-Am Driver Championship was awarded to drivers Leh Keen and Dirk Werner. Along pit row, the view will not be the same without the imprinted awning that protected ‘Race Command Central’ from the sun and rain, along with the #87 and #86 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars bearing the name Farnbacher Loles Racing.

So what now? The Georgia based race team has been completely dissolved. What happens to those left behind on Miry Brook? Do the lives and dreams of the employees come to a halt? In a word, no. Recently, I sat down with Spencer Cox, former manager of the Club Sport division in Danbury, to ask that question. Thankfully, all is not lost, at least for those of us who have come to respect the reputation and the workmanship performed by the men and women on Miry Brook Road.

New Home on Triangle Road For Porsche Service Work

Spencer greeted me with the same warm, friendly smile often seen at the track and at the shop. Despite efforts to grasp the impact of what has unfolded over the last 4 weeks; his disposition was one of calm and clear determination to move ahead. He guided me through the new location on Triangle Road in Danbury, a 10,000 square foot facility that was intended to be the new Farnbacher Loles BodyWerks Paint and Collision Center, along with a new Northeast home for the race team. When news of the demise of the race team hit, those plans became obsolete and Spencer immediately put together his own plan to regroup and rebuild. With the building now available, Spencer secured this location, at least for the short term, bringing along nine key technicians and support staff from the Miry Brook Road shop. After all, everyone had been affected and by now, they have become like family. Gathering up all their personally owned tools and equipment, Spencer’s aim was clear. “As long as I have these [hands] and my tools, I’ll continue to do what I love and provide the same quality work as before.”

SpeedSport Tuning Returns

“After 30 years in the business, starting as SpeedSport, long before joining Farnbacher Loles, we have built and maintained a loyal customer base that trusts our work and will continue with us. That’s all we need, and we will grow from here.” While the Farnbacher Loles brand was close to a house-hold name in the Porsche tuning and racing circles, it was originally built on the quality work and superb attention to detail performed by the technicians and staff of Spencer Cox and SpeedSport Tuning. Without the specialized skills and the sweat of the technicians, the reputation would not have grown as it has. “I will reinstate SpeedSport Tuning on Triangle Road. The name was untarnished for 15 years and is well known and respected by anyone who has been in this industry for more than five years.”

The new facility for SpeedSport Tuning is ideal. The grounds offer ample parking, and the building hosts a comfortable customer reception area with plenty of room in the back to work magic. They will offer the same services as the previous shop; performance tuning and regular service on Porsche, Audi and VW, in addition to continued support for Club Sport clientele in Club Racing and D.E. The set-up of the facility is well thought out and the crew is ready to get into action. While I was there, the shop already had cars delivered for winter storage and work was being scheduled for off-season modifications. Plans are also underway to participate in the 2010 PCA Club Race at Sebring scheduled for February. Spencer and his crew are resolute that no moss will grow under their feet during this reorganization.

With the shop open for business, Spencer and the crew welcome your calls and invite you to stop by and visit the new location on Triangle Road, Danbury, Connecticut. The web-site is up, but not yet updated (they are focused on getting the shop up and running right now) and they can be reached at 203-917-9888.

Today’s post was written by Jakie Buys, Editor METRO NY Region monthly magazine, The Porsche Post. Jackie can be reached at PCAPost at optonline dot net or by commenting below.

Related Posts
Farnbacher Loles Future Up In The Air
Porsche Motorsports

[Photo Credit: Jackie Buys 2009, Metro NY PCA]